Pisanthraphobia (H2OVanoss and Others)

Chapter 14

Bryce was accustomed to work now. He remained the only 'colourless' in the office, but despite the unsociable workers he coasted along.

He had always made himself happy, in a way. Friendless and alone, he relied on little fantasies to get him through the day.

He didn't have imaginary friends like some of the other kids. Rather, he had a world inside his head that he could escape to. If you asked him to describe it, he would respond that he couldn't.

Bryce's magical world existed, but only just. He needed a plane of existence but he didn't need anything beyond that. If he had a tropical island, he would fear the wildlife, or a city would be more lonely than the one he lived in.

It was because of this mental world that he got sent to therapy for a large portion of his younger life. He didn't try to make the doctors and the shrinks understand, because he knew that it was their job not to.

They labeled him with dyslexia and ADHD, and tried to put him on medication that he never really took. His parents knew that he was trying, though, and they ignored his lapses.

At one point, he conceded. He stopped going to that world and put on a mask. His face was now smiley and his heart was light, he would babble about nonsense like the other kids, and soon it started to work.

Suddenly, he was as normal as the others. He knew the same jokes, was always happy, and he became everyone's friend. Inside he hated it, but after many years the mask became stitched into his face.

He was a puppet for himself.

He especially enjoyed the food at his work. Every day he relished by the coffee machine, which was unique as the rest of his office.

He just had to press one button, and it was there. Coffee wasn't usually his thing, unless it was super sugary from StarBucks, but something about this coffee made him keep coming back for more.

He sipped from a white thermos as he sat at his desk, typing away with his mind somewhere else. A neighbour had asked what he did at work, and he had replied 'I can't tell you'. His neighbour had taken it as classified information, but really he never remembered.

Even as he sat staring at his computer screen, he didn't know what he was typing. He moved in a trance, his movements choreographed by some unseen force.

But in his normal mind, he had plenty of other things to think about. His friend, his only friend who wasn't normal, had invited him out for dinner that night.

He was eternally grateful for his friend finding him this job, and he cancelled his other plans (which he couldn't quite remember) so that he could spend time with him.

As he entered his room that night, happy as he had been able to pay his rent on the way in, he scoured his wardrobe. He had a simple array of outfits like everyone else, so he wasn't quite sure what to go for.

His eyes searched through the rack, and suddenly he lay eyes upon some clothes on a purple hanger that he never remembered buying. Shrugging to himself, he pulled them out and deemed them as suitable for dinner.

He wore a black and white striped shirt that clung to his chest, and a sleek white hoodie on top. There was a small logo on the hoodie of a magician's top hat, and he found it oddly familiar.

Next he slid on some dark purple, almost black skinny jeans that glinted under the lights, and a pair of white and black vans. Running a hand through his hair and grabbing his keys, he went out to his car.

They were meeting at a small burger joint in the more downtown area of town, a very well known restaurant that was a bit expensive. His friend had insisted on paying, saying it was because he was the one who had suggested it, so he had left his wallet at home.

He spotted a grey sweatshirt with rabbit ears coming out of the hood, and slid into the booth opposite him. His friend smiled, and he returned the gesture, and his friend told him he had already ordered.

Bryce wasn't picky, so he trusted his friend, and they started the usual small talk about how they both had been. By the time the food came they were both chatting about the job, and Bryce barely looked down to see what he was eating.

Throughout the dinner he felt almost mechanical, as though he was looking through glass and could almost tell. He had a great night, and he had promised to go out with his friend later, maybe for lunch this time.

He slipped back in to his bedroom with a warm smile stitched into his face, and his bed had never felt so comfortable. A weird feeling was welling up in his chest, and a small instinct in his mind told him something was wrong.

He ignored it, and concentrated on the new feeling, letting it grow and carry him off to sleep. The next morning he didn't have to come in until noon, and he had a feeling he would spend most of that time sleeping, or gazing out the window.

That was what he spent most of his time doing nowadays, and he considered getting a little something from the pharmacy to help him coast along. The thought faded with his consciousness, and he didn't wake up until the day after the next one.